Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

ASCENSION is seeking dependable, service-oriented Federal Grants Management Specialists to support FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate in administering mission-critical federal grant programs.

This role is suited for professionals who understand that effective grants administration requires more than processing documents. It requires accuracy, responsiveness, sound judgment, careful recordkeeping, and the ability to guide applicants and grant recipients through complex requirements without making unauthorized commitments on behalf of the Government.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience supporting federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, nonprofit, emergency-management, fire-service, or public-safety grant programs. The candidate is comfortable reviewing grant documentation, tracking applications and awards, responding to inquiries, maintaining program records, and supporting grants throughout the pre-award, award, monitoring, amendment, and closeout lifecycle.

Successful candidates are organized, patient, detail-oriented, and able to manage repetitive, high-volume work without sacrificing accuracy or customer service. They communicate clearly by telephone and email, recognize when an issue requires escalation, and work independently while remaining responsive to Government and contractor leadership.

Position Summary

The Grants Management Specialist II provides front-line grants administration, application-processing, recipient-support, documentation, tracking, and customer-service support across FEMA grant programs.

Assignments may include drafting pre- and post-award documents; downloading, organizing, and initially reviewing application packages; preparing award materials; tracking monitoring and closeout actions; maintaining databases and spreadsheets; answering applicant and recipient questions; and supporting application-evaluation panels.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Draft and revise pre-award and post-award grant documentation for Government review and approval.
• Download, organize, and track grant applications and associated supporting documents.
• Review application packages for completeness, required documentation, formatting, and apparent inconsistencies.
• Maintain application-review spreadsheets, trackers, shared records, databases, and status reports.
• Prepare application-review materials, evaluation-panel documents, award packages, and supporting correspondence.
• Populate draft award documentation for final review and approval by authorized federal personnel.
• Support programmatic and financial monitoring by updating records, drafting correspondence, and tracking outstanding actions.
• Track grant amendments, payment requests, progress reports, monitoring activities, corrective actions, and closeout status.
• Draft award-amendment materials, action memoranda, approval letters, denial letters, and recipient correspondence.
• Coordinate grant closeout activities, including document collection, correspondence, status tracking, and follow-up.
• Respond professionally and accurately to applicant, recipient, stakeholder, and program-office inquiries by telephone and email.
• Staff a high-volume programmatic help desk and document each inquiry, response, referral, and resolution.
• Explain published grant application processes, deadlines, program requirements, and current policies without providing unauthorized legal, financial, or award advice.
• Escalate complex, sensitive, policy-related, or potentially noncompliant matters to the appropriate federal or contractor lead.
• Assist program offices in developing application criteria and preparing for grant-evaluation panels.
• Coordinate incoming grant-program and data inquiries and track responses through completion.
• Research applicable grant policies, procedures, notices, guidance, and reporting requirements.
• Identify missing information, conflicting documentation, overdue actions, compliance concerns, and risks requiring review.
• Protect applicant, recipient, financial, personally identifiable, and sensitive Government information.
• Apply quality-control checks to ensure records and deliverables are accurate, complete, properly formatted, and submitted on time.
• Participate in team meetings, training sessions, workload reviews, process-improvement discussions, and knowledge-transfer activities.
• Perform related grants administration and program-support duties assigned under individual FEMA task orders.